gardai

Gardaí have gathered a list of names of those who they're trying to track down in Co. Kilkenny after three juvenile girls were sexually assaulted in Wexford last weekend.

Detectives believe that these individuals may have been directly involved in the attack or were with a number of men who carried it out on Sunday night. More than one man was apparently involved.

Gardaí are investigating claims that at least one 14-year-old girl was raped, and two other girls sexually assaulted. A specialist child interviewer has been hired to conduct the interviews.

A manhunt is ongoing in the Kilkenny area for a number of young men who Gardaí want to question about the attacks, which allegedly took place in the holiday town of Courtown Harbour, Co. Wexford.

The alleged incident happened shortly around midnight in the Burrow area, and the complainants are all young teenage girls. Gardaí are asking anyone who may have information to come forward.

The parents apparently reported to Gardaí that the girls were sexually assaulted on Sunday morning, and three girls made official statements to specialist officers. They were also brought to a sexual assault unit for treatment.

The girls are originally from the Dublin area, according to The Independent, and the attacks allegedly happened close to the beach in the north Wexford seaside village.

Gardaí were last night desperately trying to make contact with a number of suspects based in Kilkenny, and the area where the attacks allegedly happened were sealed off on Sunday while an exam took place.

"Each of the alleged victims was subjected to a different type of sexual assault," a senior source said last night.

"The alleged victims are fully co-operating with the investigation which is being treated in the most sensitive way," the source added.

Gardaí are particularly appealing to anyone who was in the Burrow area between 10pm on Saturday night and 2am on Sunday morning who saw any suspicious behaviour to contact Gardaí in Gorey on 053 943 0690 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

Gardaí are not releasing any further information “due to the sensitive nature of the incident” but a senior source described the claims as 'credible'.

A garda spokesperson said: “Owing to the nature of the alleged incidents and ages of those involved we will not be commenting further at this time.” Enquiries are ongoing, but no arrests have been made so far in the case.

A man has been arrested in connection with the death of a 27-year-old woman in Donegal last night.

Gardaí sealed off the area in Forest Park in the village of Killygordon after being called to the scene.

Local reports on Friday morning stating that a person had been fatally wounded.

Sources then said the victim had died following the incident, with the body remaining at the scene.

Gardaí have since confirmed that a full investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the death of the young woman.

A man in his 20s has been detained in Letterkenny Garda Station.

Three ambulances allegedly arrived at the house in the east of the county in the early hours of this morning, with children and other occupants leaving the house shortly afterwards.

A statement released by the Gardaí at 11:45am has stated;

“Gardaí are investigating the circumstances of the death of a woman in her 20s this morning the 4th of January 2019 at Forest Park, Killygordan, Co. Donegal. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene."

"The Office of the State Pathologist has been notified and the body remains at the scene pending an examination. The Garda Technical Bureau has been notified and will be carrying out a technical examination at the scene today.

"A man in his 20s has been arrested and is detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 in Letterkenny Garda Station. Investigations are ongoing.”

Patrick McGowan, who is the local county councillor in Killygordon, commented that; “All we know is that there has been a very serious incident and everyone in the locality is shocked."

“All we know is that somebody has been seriously hurt and Gardaí are awaiting the forensics team to arrive.”

To ensure that you are not being fleeced for a non-existent property, the Gardaí recommend doing business with established bon-fide rental agencies.

They always advise to meet a prospective landlord in the accommodation to be rented, ask for identification, a driver’s licence or photo identification of landlord or letting agent, etc – (Take a photo of the document on your phone).

When it comes to coughing up the deposit, make sure it's paid to the landlord and nobody else, unless they can prove their authority to be able to take the payment on behalf of the landlord.

Now instead of splashing out the cash for that deposit, use cheques or bank drafts to pay it and keep copies of receipts of payments and any correspondence.

And finally, ensure keys fit, open door lock and sign a rental contract, prior to payment of deposit.

While speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr O'Dwyer said that this was at least six times busier than the normal Wednesday night, but relatively on the same wavelength as past Halloweens.

He also said that anti-social behaviour was actually decreasing and the number of injuries are being reduced as a result of organised events by local authorities in the run-up to this year's Halloween.

This past month, Gardaí have been clamping down on the gathering of incendiary items such as fireworks or bonfire materials, which appears to have had positive effects.

"I can’t stress how positive it is to have the organised events. It keeps people in a safe environment," said Mr O'Dwyer.

The assistant fire chief described the situations where cars were actually being driven onto dwindling bonfires in the early hours of the morning, as they die down.

He claimed that people will do "anything to keep them going", and that the major danger with illegal bonfires is the combustible materials which people throw onto them, for example aerosol cans and gas cylinders.

"There is no safe distance" for those types of fuels.

Since 0900 this morning till 2300 we have received 750+ "999" calls into our control centre

No matter what you hear, you do not owe iTunes money! Gardaí are warning the public of an ongoing iTunes scam.

There have been reports of scammers claiming to be an iTunes employee contacting people and requesting payment for money they claim is owed.

The scammers insist the victim buy an iTunes gift card as payment and ask for the 16 digit gift card number.

The anonymous cons recently tried to trick a business in Cork into sending them money. A request was made via email, sent by a person claiming to be the Manager of the company.

The message asked a staff member to purchase €2,000 of iTunes gift cards and send on the voucher numbers, but thankfully the employee contacted their Manager by phone to verify the request, suspicious of the sender's intent.

Gardaí say to be cautious of the ongoing scam and watch out for any phone calls, voicemails or emails from scammers claiming to be a representative of an organisation.

They may claim that you owe money and insist on immediate payment by a gift card. In some cases, victims are told they are facing criminal charges.

The scammer may know some information about you, so be sure not to trust them just because they use your name or have other personal details.

Detective Superintendent Healy warned: "We fear that this is an emerging scam and would urge people to be vigilant. The retailers of such cards should also be vigilant.

“Please remember, If you are NOT purchasing an item from the iTunes Store, App Store, iBooks Store, or an Apple Music membership, do not make a payment with iTunes Gift Cards.

“There's no other instance in which you'll be asked to make a payment with an iTunes Gift Card. If you fear you have been a victim of this scam or any other scam for that matter, please pick up the phone and call Gardaí”.

The iTunes gift card scam is just one of many that have recently surfaced in Ireland and the public is advised to continue to exercise extreme caution when answering phone calls.

Always say "NO” to unsolicited callers or texters seeking personal information about you, and never use the contact details supplied to you by the caller or texter.